Author: Dave Nelson

Written by Tim Wu and narrated by Marc Vietor “The Master Switch” is about the past and present of the United States communication industries. I bought this audio book from Audible.com.

The information contained in this book is wonderful and enlightening. I learned a lot about the history of the telephone, movies, radio and the Internet.

I am keeping this review really short to contrast how terribly long and drawn out this book is. I would estimate that half of the words in the book are unnecessary and do nothing but make the book longer and harder to read. I found it very boring and frustrating because of this. But the information you walk away with if you make it through the book is really great stuff.

Publisher’s Summary

A secret history of the industrial wars behind the rise and fall of the 20th century’s great information empires – Hollywood, the broadcast networks, and AT&T – asking one big question: Could history repeat itself, with one giant entity taking control of American information?

Most consider the Internet Age to be a moment of unprecedented freedom in communications and culture. But as Tim Wu shows, each major new medium, from telephone to cable, arrived on a similar wave of idealistic optimism only to become, eventually, the object of industrial consolidation profoundly affecting how Americans communicate. Every once-free and open technology was in time centralized and closed, a huge corporate power taking control of the master switch. Today, as a similar struggle looms over the Internet, increasingly the pipeline of all other media, the stakes have never been higher. To be decided: who gets heard, and what kind of country we live in. Part industrial exposé, part meditation on the nature of freedom of expression, part battle cry to save the Internet’s best features, The Master Switch brings to light a crucial drama rife with indelible characters and stories, heretofore played out over decades in the shadows of our national life.

©2010 Tim Wu (P)2010 Audible, Inc

If you do not currently believe that Net Neutrality laws should be passed immediately I beg you to read this book.

I rate this book a 6 out of 10 because of how wordy it is, cut it in half and it would be a 10.

The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America’s Leading Design Firm by Tom Kelley was written in 2001 and it is amazing how just 10 years can make a book’s examples feel so dated. IDEO is one of the greatest ‘idea’ companies of all time, but technology examples in this book made it feel very dated and out of touch to me.

I bought this book from Audible and listened to it during my commute. The production quality is absolutely horrible. It may have to do with the production standards of audio books in 2001 versus the current standards. I was not impressed by the audio quality or the narrator’s method for identifying chapters and sections.

If you can get past all that, this is a really good book. The methods described on how to be innovative, how to brainstorm, how get creative ideas flowing, and how to have a company that is focused on creating great products for customers are all great and I believe they would be effective at any company.

I really enjoyed hearing how IDEO uses prototyping to fail early. Failing early is a philosophy I have been interested in for a couple of months now and the idea of using quick prototypes that can be shared with the team and with customers has become a recurring theme in the books I have been reading. Web design and development books are encouraging user centered designs that use prototypes and quick usability tests to discover what works and what doesn’t work quickly and cheaply.

Also, the content on brainstorming was good; it reinforced the format and rules for holding useful sessions that I have learned elsewhere. I really like the idea of having a room with the brainstorming rules painted on the walls. I may make some banners to hang on the walls before my team holds our sessions.

From the publisher:

There isn’t a business in America that doesn’t want to be more creative in their thinking, products, and processes. At many companies, being first with a concept and first to market are critical just to survive. In The Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley, general manager of the Silicon Valley-based design firm IDEO, takes readers behind the scenes of this wildly imaginative and energized company to reveal the strategies and secrets it uses to turn out hit after hit.

I rate this book a 6 out of 10 keeping in mind that it includes sections that I would rate a 9.

I have been listening to Dave Ramsey for about 5 years now. I started listening before getting, Dave’s radio show and his book “The Total Money Makeover” were a revelation.

When I met my wife money was one of the first things we talked seriously about, I believe that money is the number one cause of fights and divorce among couples, so being on the same page about money is a big deal. For a couple of months we listened to the show’s free daily hour-long podcast for ideas and inspiration.

By our 1-year anniversary we were debt free. I got the opportunity to help host a Financial Peace University class at our church, our friend Neal took the lead and Bobbie and I helped out where we could. It was a great success and it helped people both from our church and our community.

I still listen to the radio show during my commute or when I go on long motorcycle rides and the radio show really enforces what we learned in FPU. Hearing Dave give financial advice day after day using the same principles he outlines in all of his books and classes is great, it is rare to hear someone be so consistent in thought and deed.

I rate the free podcast and the 3-hour radio show a 9 out of 10 for those interested in living debt free.

I bought this lecture on Audble.com and listened to it during my morning and afternoon commutes.

The Modern Scholar series are recorded college-level lectures. I enjoyed listening to this lecture and feel like I learned something, but not a lot. Maybe I will listen to it again and spend more time with the 82-page course guide while listening. I think there is a lot to learn from this lecture, but like most classes you only get out of it what you put in. In other words, it is going to take some work to get the most from this lecture.

I enjoyed listening to Professor Drout, and look forward to listening to more of his lectures that are a part of the same series.

From the publisher:

Esteemed professor Michael D. C. Drout brings his expertise in literary studies to the subject of rhetoric. From history-altering political speeches to friendly debates at cocktail parties, rhetoric holds the power to change opinions, spark new thoughts, and ultimately change the world.

The study of rhetoric not only leads to a greater understanding of how personages such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Winston Churchill elevated the power of speech to majestic heights, but also to a stronger proficiency in using rhetoric in anyone’s day-to-day life.

Professor Drout examines the types of rhetoric and their effects, the structure of effective arguments, and how subtleties of language can be employed to engage in more successful rhetoric. Drout also ponders the role of rhetoric in our world and the age-old question of whether it is just a tool for convincing people of things that aren’t true, or whether it is indeed a force for good that will ultimately lead to truth.

I rate this lecture a 7 out of 10 and recommend it to anyone interested in rehetoric, political speeches, and public speaking.

I read this book using iBooks on an iPad; this review is for the first edition of the book printed in 2007. There is an updated "Second Edition" available that appears to have some additional content.

This book is a really quick read at around 180 pages. I appreciate the format of the author walking through the process of creating the design for a web site from the ground up.

I really liked the chapter on color theory and the proper use of a color wheel, I always struggle with choosing colors that "work."

The new edition of the book appears to be a nice upgrade to the first edition and I look forward to reading it sometime soon.

From the publisher:

Tired of making web sites that work absolutely perfectly but just don’t look nice?

If so, then The Principles of Beautiful Web Design is for you. A simple, easy-to-follow guide, illustrated with plenty of full-color examples, this book will lead you through the process of creating great designs from start to finish. Good design principles are not rocket science, and using the information contained in this book will help you create stunning web sites.

Understand the design process, from discovery to implementation Understand what makes "good design" Developing pleasing layouts using grids, the rule of thirds, balance and symmetry Use color effectively, develop color schemes and create a palette Use textures, lines, points, shapes, volumes and depth Learn how good typography can make ordinary designs look great Effective imagery: choosing, editing and placing images And much more

Throughout the book, you’ll follow an example design, from concept to completion, learning along the way. The book’s full-color layout and large format (8" x 10") make The Principles Of Beautiful Wed Design a pleasure to read.

I rate this book a 7 out of 10 and recommend the second edition of the book to anyone beginning web design.

I got this book from Audible.com, it is narrated by the author.

I usually love stories by Neil Gaiman and this one is no exception. The story of Nobody Owens told in The Graveyard Book has its dark moments but falls just short of being scary.

You can watch videos of Mr. Gaiman reading chapters from the book at his web site for young readers “Mr. Bobo’s Remarkable Mouse Circus” where you can also find his other YA books and games.

From the publisher

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he’s the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians’ time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade. Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren’t really one thing or the other. This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman’s first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman’s legion of adult fans.

I rate this book a 10 out of 10 and recommend it to anyone who likes dark fantasy stories.

This book was recommended to me as the “Bible” for interaction design. I am in the midst of changing my career focus and doing more designerish work. I am not sure exactly where my new job will lead me, but I figured reading “Designing for the Digital Age” could give me a head start.

I read this book using Safari Books Online and bought a physical copy from Amazon. The physical copy was because I figured I could read it faster if I had both electronic and print versions.

After reading this book I have to agree that it could be the Bible of interaction design as it appears to cover every topic of modern design. But overall I found the book hard to read, repetitive, and very textbook like. I think I would have gotten a lot more out of it with the help of a classroom setting, which is a very rare thing for me indeed as I do not enjoy structured learning at all.

From the publisher:

Whether you’re designing consumer electronics, medical devices, enterprise Web apps, or new ways to check out at the supermarket, today’s digitally-enabled products and services provide both great opportunities to deliver compelling user experiences and great risks of driving your customers crazy with complicated, confusing technology.

Designing successful products and services in the digital age requires a multi-disciplinary team with expertise in interaction design, visual design, industrial design, and other disciplines. It also takes the ability to come up with the big ideas that make a desirable product or service, as well as the skill and perseverance to execute on the thousand small ideas that get your design into the hands of users. It requires expertise in project management, user research, and consensus-building. This comprehensive, full-color volume addresses all of these and more with detailed how-to information, real-life examples, and exercises. Topics include assembling a design team, planning and conducting user research, analyzing your data and turning it into personas, using scenarios to drive requirements definition and design, collaborating in design meetings, evaluating and iterating your design, and documenting finished design in a way that works for engineers and stakeholders alike.

I rate this book a 6 out of 10 because of its textbook like nature, but the information in the book is very valuable and I am glad that I have read it.

I listened to this book from Audible, it is narrated by James Marsters.

Side Jobs is a collection of short stories that take place between the other books in the Dresden Files series including a story from before Dresden has a P.I. license. I really enjoyed every one of these stories as they lend further depth and breadth to the characters I have grown to love.

James Marsters gives an amazing performance portraying not only Harry as a lead role, but also Thomas and Murphy in their own stories. Mr. Marsters is an incredible actor!

The publisher does not appear to have a synopsis for this book, but the editorial reviews on Amazon do a good job.

I rate this book an 8 out of 10 overall, but a must read for Dresden fans.

I read this book using Safari Books Online using an iPhone and a MacBook Pro with Firefox. I was most comfortable reading on a 22" screen rotated vertically so that I could easily read an entire page without scrolling with a font large enough to read while sitting back in an office chair.

"Rocket Surgery Made Easy" is about doing usability testing with a small budget, little time, and not a lot of support. I think it does a great job fulfilling that purpose and more. It is very focused and does not stray from the subject it covers. I feel empowered by what I have learned and have a lot more confidence that I will be able to conduct usability tests that will result in knowing what should be worked on next.

This is a short book compared to others on the market; in fact I read this book as a break from reading another much larger and broader-in-scope book.

From the publisher:

It’s been known for years that usability testing can dramatically improve products. But with a typical price tag of $5,000 to $10,000 for a usability consultant to conduct each round of tests, it rarely happens.

In this how-to companion to Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability, Steve Krug spells out an approach to usability testing that anyone can easily apply to their own web site, application, or other product. (As he said in Don’t Make Me Think, "It’s not rocket surgery".)

In this new book, Steve explains how to:

• Test any design, from a sketch on a napkin to a fully-functioning web site or application
• Keep your focus on finding the most important problems (because no one has the time or resources to fix them all)
• Fix the problems that you find, using his "The least you can do" approach

By paring the process of testing and fixing products down to its essentials (A morning a month, that’s all we ask ), Rocket Surgery makes it realistic for teams to test early and often, catching problems while it’s still easy to fix them. Rocket Surgery Made Easy adds demonstration videos to the proven mix of clear writing, before-and-after examples, witty illustrations, and practical advice that made Don’t Make Me Think so popular.

I rate this book a 9 out of 10 for those interested in usability testing.

I bought this book as a hardcover from Amazon along with "I Shall Wear Midnight" which I hope to read soonish.

I absolutely love everything Terry Partchett. The Discworld series is so incredible with its depth and breadth of characters, locations, plot-lines, and pure awesomeness. I have read all of them multiple times.

Terry Pratchett also writes amazing children’s books like the Tiffany Aching series, which takes place in the Discworld universe, "Nation", the award winning "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents," and "The Bromeliad Trilogy."

The "The Bromeliad Trilogy" consists of "Truckers," "Diggers" and "Wings" which are adventures of the "nomes," little people similar to garden gnomes but don’t dare say that to them.

From the publisher about Truckers:

For years the Store has been home to hundreds of four-inch-tall nomes, until the day they discover devastating news: The Store is going to be demolished. Now the nomes need a new way of thinking, a daring escape plan, and a whole lot of luck …

From the publisher about Diggers:

Just as the nomes are settling into their new home, they discover they have to move again. That is, unless they can find a way to fight back …

From the publisher about Wngs:

The powerful conclusion to the trilogy, wherein the nomes search for a way back to their original home and learn more than they ever could have imagined about airports, humans, outer space, geese, and Floridian sandwiches.

I rate this book a 7 out of 10, it is not as fast a read as most Discworld books, but it a satisfying story full of Terry Pratchett’s unique sense of humor.

I listened to these books from Audible.com which are narrated by James Marsters. As always the production values are excellent and the characters are portrayed by Marsters in a way that really brings them to life.

The series is really taking off with big changes for the characters and intensifying plot lines that leave me wanting more and more. I really like how every book surprises me with plot twists and character bends that deepen my interest in Harry Dresden and the people that surround him.

Turn Coat

We get to learn more about Morgan and what motivates him to do the things he does in "Turn Coat."

From the publisher:

The Warden Morgan has been accused of treason against the Wizards of the White Council–and there’s only one, final punishment for that crime. He’s on the run, wants his name cleared, and needs someone with a knack for backing the underdog. Someone like Harry Dresden.

Now, Harry must uncover a traitor within the Council, keep a less-than-agreeable Morgan under wraps, and avoid coming under scrutiny himself. And a single mistake may cost someone his head–someone like Harry.

Changes

Wow! Just WOW!

I do not want to give anything away about this book, so I wont. It is not a book that you should read without reading all of the other Harry Dresden books first, but as the 12th book in the series it is the best of the bunch.

I have edited the description from the publisher because I feel it gives away important plot points of the story that should be left as a surprise.

From the publisher:

Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden’s lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power.

I rate Turn Coat 8 out of 10 and Changes as a 10 out of 10 for those who have read the preceding books.

In the last year I set a goal for myself to write a short book review every week. I love to read and go through almost a book a week either in print, on an electronic device, or as an audio book.

I also decided to focus the first half of the year on non-fiction books and the second half of the year reading fiction. Many of the fiction books I have written reviews for are part of a series and the reviews are for more than one book in the series.

I really enjoyed these books and look forward to even more reading in 2011.

Non-Fiction Books

• The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook by Ben Mezrich 8 out of 10
• Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and Dr. John Townsend 10 out of 10
• Creative Black & White by Harold Davis Unrated
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: The Classic Guide to Understanding the Opposite Sex by John Gray 9 out of 10
• The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson 9 out of 10
• Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin 4 out of 10
• No More Mondays: Fire Yourself — And Other Revolutionary Ways to Discover Your True Calling at Work by Dan Miller 8 out of 10
• 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know 8 out of 10
• How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In by Jim Collins 8 out of 10
• A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson 8 out of 10
• Around the World in 80 Days by Michael Palin 7 out of 10
• Storming Las Vegas: How a Cuban-Born, Soviet-Trained Commando Took Down the Strip 8 out of 10
• iWoz: How I Invented the Personal Computer and Had Fun Along the WaY 7 out of 10
• Blink: The Power of Thinking Without by Malcolm Gladwell 5 out of 10
• Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw 4 out of 10
• The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: Using Jewish Teachings to Raise Self-Reliant Children by Wendy Mogel, Ph.D. 10 out of 10
• Influencer: The Power to Change Anything 7 out of 10
• National Geographic Photo Books 8 out of 10
• iPad: The Missing Manual by J.D. Biersdorfer 7 out of 10
• High Performance JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas 8 out of 10
• Firebug 1.5: Editing, Debugging, and Monitoring Web Pages by Chandan Luthra and Deepak Mittal 8 out of 10
• The Unofficial LEGO Builder’s Guide by Allan Bedford 8 out of 10
• Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks, and Good Food By Jeff Potter 8 out of 10

Fiction Books

• Maximum Ride: Books 1, 2, and 3 by James Patterson Unrated
• Ender’s Game: Special 20th Anniversary Edition by Orson Scott Card 9 out of 10
• The Callahan Chronicals by Spider Robinson 9 out of 10
• Doctor Who: The Sands of Time By Justin Richards 8 out of 10
• A Hat Full of Sky, An Adventure of Tiffany Aching and the Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett 9 out of 10
• Doctor Who: The Taking of Chelsea 426 by David Llewellyn 8 out of 10
• Dresden Files: Storm Front & Fool Moon by Jim Butcher 9 out of 10
• Dresden Files Book 3: Grave Peril by Jim Butcher 8 out of 10
• Dresden Files Books 4 through 8 by Jim Butcher 8 out of 10
• Dresden Files: Books 9 "White Night" and Book 10 "Small Favor" 8 out of 10
• Doctor Who: Night of the Humans By David Llewellyn 8 out of 10

Cooking has never been interesting to me, after reading this book I am still not very interested, but I do want to learn how to cook well enough to feed my family a nice balanced meal.

I read this book using Safari Books Online an iPad, a MacBook, and an iPhone. Reading using HTML view in mobile Safari works ok, it is not as good an experience as a proper eBook that is correctly formatted, but it is a lot better than trying to read a PDF that is formatted with all the wasted space of a print book.

Cooking for Geeks approaches cooking from a scientific and computer geek point of view. I enjoyed the information about what makes food taste the way it does, why we like the taste, how to bring out the best taste, how our taste buds work, and some of the basic recipes to get me started cooking.

I used the information in the book to buy kitchen tools like a non-stick frying pan, an iron skillet, probe and oven thermometers, and a kitchen scale. I look forward to using them to cook my family some great meals.

One of my favorite features of this book are the vignettes from celebrity chefs, celebrity geeks, and food scientists. From Adam Savage talking about cooking eggs to Jeff Varasano of Atlanta’s Varasano’s Pizzeria hacking his home oven to get temperatures hot enough to cook a proper pizza they were all great.

From the publisher:

More than just a cookbook, Cooking for Geeks applies your curiosity to discovery, inspiration, and invention in the kitchen. Why is medium-rare steak so popular? Why do we bake some things at 350° F/175° C and others at 375° F/190° C? And how quickly does a pizza cook if we overclock an oven to 1,000° F/540° C? Author and cooking geek Jeff Potter provides the answers and offers a unique take on recipes — from the sweet (a “mean” chocolate chip cookie) to the savory (duck confit sugo).

I rate this book an 8 out of 10. I highly recommend this book to any geek that has an interest in cooking. It is not the only book needed to go from a non-cook to a great cook but I think it is a great first step.

P.S.
My next cooking book is Alton Brown’s “I’m Just Here for the Food: Version 2.0” or “How to Cook Everything” by Mark Bittman from which I hope to learn basic kitchen skills.